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Erwood
Erwood '''was the city state Capital of Eia, residing in the country of Yrdachai. It was the largest city in terms of both population and surface area, covering an enormous stretch of The North Hills and has outlived almost every settlement in Eia. Erwood, with the exception of Greater Erwood, was arguably the oldest manmade settlement in Primordian history, said to have begun construction by the Antecedents in 4411BSE (almost 6,000 years old). The Edict of the Imperial Silence describes Erwood as The Immortal Monument and refrains from the term 'city', presumably to signify its utter majesty and uniqueness from other cities. It was home to The Royal Palace wherein the Primonarch of Eia reigned, securing its place as the holiest site in the world. Every square inch of Erwood's structure was and is still regarded as sacred, and to damage it even in the slightest scuff would have been a punishable offence. By this logic, the Black Collapse ''decimated the sanctity of Erwood and furthermore the world, virtually bringing an end to modern Niarism and ''The House of The Mond. Due to its age, Erwood has significantly expanded in surface area since its beginnings, much of Greater Erwood being built during The Second Emergence 1700+ years prior to modern day when countless masses of refugees fled to its sanctuary. Origin Erwood used to be called E'Veschyod ''Ehv-ish-yord ''in Old Yrdain, hence the longstanding demonym of its citizens, Evitch. While Erwood has always been regarded as the most sacred ground on Eia, it wasn't the largest city until Ehvylus was destroyed in The Second Emergence. The Throne Since the establishment of the monarchy back before time could record, Erwood was the seat of The Primonarch of Eia. An obelisk of unbreakable stone that serves as the Primonarchs' Throne is a remnant of the original mountain that once stood in the early city's place, formerly a stalagmite in a huge cave system that no tool could penetrate. The ornate details of the Throne were added later, but since its discovery, it was considered something of a deity itself. Culture Citizenship Erwood held its status as a utopian city for many years, mainly down to the strict citizenship tests required to vet migrants from anywhere. Expecting parents already living in Erwood would be made to ensure their children followed the same requirements. A potential citizen of Erwood was required to have contributed a certain amount to their communities under specific guidelines, and exactly to those guidelines to be considered for entry. The Black Collapse In the early winter of 1752 ASE, a legion of The Rin appeared in Gallnack, Mechichai, having been summoned through a portstone by The Speaker. This would be the same day marked as The Third Emergence, and resulting reset of the Eian calendar. It took but a week for the host to traverse the landscape and arrive at Erwood completely unseen, as they had, in their dormancy, adapted to travel through water and vapour to avoid early detection and potential repulsion. Though The Primonarch RorymIII received intel about their approach, there were only a few who believed the news considering the mythical status of The Rin (having not existed for thousands of years). By the time he was able to convince even a small number of people that his word was true, The Rin had already infiltrated Erwood via the River Ford and were waiting in the molecules of water. The inevitable attack was sprung in the early hours of a foggy morning, allowing thousands upon thousands of glooms to appear across the city at once and begin a devastating mass genocide of Erwood's citizens, completely undetected. For several hours, the chaotic disorganisation of the Evitch forces attempted to hold off The Rin, though they were entirely surrounded and outmatched, while all airborne vessels were redirected to evacuate as many civilians as possible as well as firing on the swarms of glooms and suicidal leapers. Hundreds of these vessels were brought down by the leapers, most of them ploughing into the densely populated districts below, causing further destruction and death. Some of the unfortunate ships came down on the banks of the River, bursting its banks and flooding the lower districts of Greater Erwood, practically wiping anyone still alive away, and washing the water-resistant glooms towards them. Amidst the fast-unfolding panic, the Ditarch-Prince Devyntias was covertly evacuated from The Royal Palace and taken into The North Hills via an underground tunnel, where he would remain hidden in a refugee group. The Primonarch would tragically fall while defending The Royal Palace, shortly after The Pillar came down on top of it. By the end of the ordeal, tens of millions were slaughtered, and barely a sixth of the Evitch forces remained. The Rin ultimately withdrew from the city, not in retreat, but in celebration, leaving behind an ash-plastered ruin that would forever remain a graveyard. While a large number of civilians and soldiers managed the hide in the wreckage until the coast was clear, the majority of those who survived had abandoned their former home and fled into The North Hills, navigating to the nearest towns and cities to find sanctuary. The first official statement regarding Erwood's fall and additionally, the Primonarch's death, came months after the event, spreading to the regions of Eia one-by-one as a haunting declaration was repeatedly transmitted: ''To all Eians alike, this is an emergency Starhalm transmission. Please remain calm and maintain order. This is an emergency Starhalm transmission. Erwood has fallen. It is with overwhelming sorrow that we announce, His Supremacy The Primonarch has been killed in the valiant defence of His City, laying down his life for ours, amidst the countless thousands whose lives were lost in service to Him. ' Post-Collapse Erwood was left untouched for several years after the attack, but perhaps had a sizeable population still attempting to live in the ruins and what districts remained relatively unscathed. Due to its destruction happening so quickly and without prior warning, the world wouldn't find out until the first escaping vessels made contact with civilisation beyond The North Hills. It is estimated that the first occurrence of the warning came almost a week after the event, followed by a gradual but slow spread of the information over the next month. This would be accelerated when the reserves of ahniarak emptied and electrical power ran out across most of Yrdachai and Fordachai 2 weeks afterwards. This stage was known as 'The Ash Dawn', as at around the same time as the blackout, an enormous cloud of ash from the fires in Erwood swallowed the sky over northern Fordachai and Venkerhimoat, putting the region in a grey winter. Over the following years, search & rescue parties would be routinely sent back to Erwood with the aim of moving any remain citizens out, after the site was declared a forbidden, hallowed grave by the word of then-Regent Devyntias Amberfern. This declaration was forgotten later on as it was never officially transcribed, and allowed the Starhalm government to begin excavating the precious stone of the ruin to start construction of ''New Ehvylus, ''which Devyntias quickly forbade and shamed. The law surrounding Erwood's ruins was finally set in stone, and the old city was at last left to nature's grasp. After 200 years, the ruins of Erwood were at last opened to the public in controlled tours in sectioned-off areas. Due to most of Greater Erwood being flooded by the Ford, only the main road to the Palace was traversable, as well as some of the Palace itself. By which point, a vast expanse of flora had almost entirely sealed the ruins in green, giving new life to many species of animals and insects. The post-primonarchy government of Yrdachai ensured the regular maintenance and preservation of the ruins from then on.